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EDI
The Enhanced Defence Intelligence, also called EDI (pronounced 'Eee-Dee' ˈiːdiː), is a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence and a major character in the Mass Effect games. Developed by the human supremacist group Cerberus, EDI was installed aboard the Normandy SR-2. She is represented visually by a holographic blue sphere and aurally with a feminine voice at various terminals throughout the ship where she can provide basic information about the Normandy and Cerberus. In Mass Effect 3, she becomes a squad member after the Normandy captures a Cerberus mech which EDI then installs herself upon. History ''Mass Effect 2'' EDI is a Quantum Blue Box AI installed aboard the Normandy SR-2, serving as the ship's electronic warfare suite. Being a full AI rather than VI, Cerberus installed numerous behavioural blocks and shackle programs to keep her from going rogue. As a result, she is unable to answer many of Commander Shepard's questions regarding Cerberus and the Illusive Man. She also reports to the Illusive Man regularly regarding Shepard's progress and the activities aboard the Normandy. Throughout the Normandy's mission to stop the Collectors, EDI provides invaluable insight into their activities and offers Shepard's squad guidance towards the best solutions to their problems. After acquiring a Reaper IFF, a virus corrupts the Normandy's systems and leaves her defenceless, allowing the Collectors to board her and abduct most of the crew. Joker, the ship's pilot, manages to evade capture and follows EDI's instructions to release her AI shackles, allowing her to regain control of the ship and escape the Collectors. After being unshackled, EDI becomes capable of adjusting her programming and begins to express a greater degree of independent thought. Despite the squad's reservations of working with an unshackled AI, EDI assures them that she has formed a sense of familiarity with them and will not betray them. After the Collectors are defeated, she even divulges answers to previously classified questions regarding Cerberus operations. ''Mass Effect 3'' Following Shepard's desertion from Cerberus, the Normandy is grounded for several months. However, EDI and Joker hijack the ship together (EDI's AI status was hidden from the Alliance due to outstanding laws against the existence of AI) and rescue Shepard as the Reapers begin their invasion of Earth. The Normandy then travels to Mars to investigate a possible Prothean weapon capable of destroying the Reapers, but Cerberus are also seeking this technology and a battle ensues between Shepard's crew and Cerberus' troops. A Cerberus gynoid mech masquerading as one "Dr. Eva Coré" is disabled during a firefight and Shepard takes the mech aboard the Normandy for analysis. Some time after the Mars mission, EDI seizes control of Dr. Coré's body after extracting all of its vital data. In her own words, "It was not a seamless transition". EDI's takeover of the mech platform resulted in a major power loss that endangered the Normandy. Regardless, EDI claims to exist primarily within the ship even with the new body. Although she recommends the platform to be within Normandy's broadcast or tightbeam range for optimal control, she suggests the body can provide limited-fire ground support and can reach areas the ship can't. From this point onward, EDI is capable of joining Shepard's squad. Shepard can ask EDI about her new body's capabilities and advantages. EDI initially starts comparing the new body to the Normandy at which Shepard reminds her to compare it against organic bodies. Her body is resistant to modern small-arms fire and temperature extremes in addition to having excellent balance and agility. She adapts the body's existing software for hand-held firearms rather than downloading one from a security firm. When Shepard questions this, she says that she wishes to experiment with the body to perform improvements on her own. As a squad member, EDI is adept with the use of pistols and submachine guns and a master of electronic warfare, capable of hacking synthetic targets to disable them or turn them against each other. Over the course of ME3, she commits herself to studying organic behaviour at a more firsthand level, asking Shepard complicated existentialist questions and even attempting to pursue a romantic relationship with Joker (Whether or not she does this is determined by the player's choice during a key conversation). Before the final battle on Earth, EDI assists Shepard with infiltrating Cerberus Headquarters and recovering the Prothean VI Victory so that the Alliance can add the Catalyst component to the Crucible weapon. During the assault, the squad uncover several log files in the Cerberus database relating to EDI's creation and to Shepard's resurrection. EDI's ultimate fate at the end of ME3 is determined by the player. If EDI and Joker were together and organic-synthetic synthesis was achieved, they exit the Normandy after it crash-lands on a jungle planet and marvel at the planet's scenery, enjoying the moment while Shepard's most favored crew follow behind them. If Shepard chooses to control the Reapers or the synthesis of all organic and synthetic life, EDI will be present with Joker if Shepard had motivated them to be together before. If Shepard chooses to destroy the Reapers, EDI perishes along with all other synthetics throughout the galaxy and her name is then added to the Memorial Wall. If Shepard chose to merge organic and synthetic life, EDI speaks of how Shepard's sacrifice changed the relationship between organics and synthetics forever. EDI will state that she is no longer alone, then receives a hug from the squad member to which Shepard was closest. She explains that the Reapers have stopped attacking the galaxy and are now helping to rebuild, and have also begun to share the collective knowledge of countless previous cultures. She speculates that with the differences between organics and synthetics disappearing, mortality itself could one day be transcended to a new level of existence even she cannot imagine. Category:Artificial Intelligence Category:Video Game Robots Category:Sentient Robots Category:Mass Effect Category:Androids Category:Holograms